W.H. group tackles campus assault

The Obama administration is beefing up a commitment to combating sexual violence on college campuses with the creation of a new task force and release of a new report Wednesday from the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Nearly one in five women have been raped in their lifetimes, and alcohol and drug use are exacerbating the violence, the report says. Most victims know their attackers, repeat victimization is common, and young women are especially at risk.

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“Nearly half of female survivors were raped before they were 18, and over one-quarter of male survivors were raped before they were 10,” the report says. “College students are particularly vulnerable: 1 in 5 women has been sexually assaulted while in college.”

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Cabinet secretaries and the White House Council on Women and Girls on Wednesday. Obama signed a memorandum creating the White House Task Force on Protecting Students from Sexual Assault. It will be devoted to coming up with solutions to combat sexual violence and improve school response.

“We need to keep saying to anyone out there who has ever been assaulted — you are not alone,” Obama said during an event held for the Council on Women and Girls. “You will never be alone. We’ve got your back. I’ve got your back.”

The task force will have 90 days to develop recommendations to guide colleges in how to prevent and respond to cases of sexual violence, increase transparency in how schools address the issue and enhance coordination across government agencies in the interest of keeping schools on task.

“I think it will really help prod colleges, universities and law enforcement to finally start treating sexual assault with the seriousness it deserves,” said Fatima Goss Graves, vice president for education and employment at the National Women’s Law Center. “Ninety days is an aggressive time frame, but this is a problem that deserves an aggressive time frame.”

More intervention, counseling, social services, legal advocacy and housing assistance for victims are needed, the report says. It also stresses that most offenders never see arrest or prosecution and the instances of violence often go underreported.

“Even when arrests are made, prosecutors are often reluctant to take on rape and sexual assault cases — and, in some jurisdictions, the backlog of untested rape kits can also be a factor in low prosecution rates,” the report says.

In outlining next steps, the report says schools need to “adopt better policies and practices to prevent these crimes and to more effectively respond when they happen. And federal agencies must ensure that schools are living up to their obligations.”

Obama said it’s his hope that every college president who isn’t personally thinking about sexual violence on their campus will hear about the report and figure out who’s in charge of responding to cases on their campus. College leaders need to ensure that they’re responding appropriately and, if they’re not, Obama said, he hopes students ask questions of their campus leaders.

Obama also said more needs to be done in tackling sexual violence in the military, and said, “I made it clear that I expect significant progress in the year ahead.”

“It’s great news to see plans to increase transparency around enforcement activities identified as a priority. The current information, if available, is scattered online and can be difficult to find — we hope that will change,” said Anne Hedgepeth, government relations manager for the American Association of University Women.

“The time is now to tackle issues that face our service members,” Hedgepeth said. “AAUW would add that is particularly true at military academies. Gender barriers are being broken for women in the military, and our academies must reflect that commitment to equity.”